Chapter 44- A Hero's Welcome

Roen released his purple greaves and fell to the ground beneath him. Engil, Tyor,and Sarah were and behind the three was a large man in silver armor and next to him was a man with a dashing beard and short height. The group stood at the edge of the abyss Roen had created earlier. The plant life had been killed and the forests were in a tattered appearance around them.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." The king kneeled suddenly to the surprise of the general who stood next to him. He hesitated before following his king's motions and knelt before Roen as well.

"Hmmm~ it's ok worms sometimes have a hard time seeing what's right in front of them." Roen glossed over the matter quickly and threw out a comment that could be along the lines of an insult and philosophy. He turned to Engil, Tyor, and Sarah as he introduced them to his glaive. The king and general were still kneeling, they were following the custom to wait for someone to tell them to stand up.

"So this guy is a super powerful weapon of mass destruction?" Engil was carefully examining the glaive in Roen's hand while Tyor nodded.

"Hey, hey, don't get to close! Yours might react negatively towards me, it is still young so it is more subject to change." The glaive suddenly yelled out and startled Engil so much that he fell back.

"I had expected his weapon was special, but is it really a dwarven weapon?" Roen interjected and directly asked. Engil paid close attention and even Sarah grew a little curious to where the conversation was headed.

"Sorta, it was definitely forged by dwarves, but it wasn't given a consciousness so it can only be considered an incomplete for now." The glaive's words made everyone's heads turn towards Engil. His face was of pure surprise, and after noticing everyone staring at him he quickly regained his composure.

"Well some say it's not the man who chooses his great weapon, but rather a great weapon to choose a great man." Engil took on a scholarly tone as if he was educating children. Everyone groaned and blamed his insane luck as they turned away to ignore him.

"Um, if I may ask you said something about how you were created by my ancestors?" The king had been fidgeting for awhile and finally worked up the courage to ask the glaive.

"Oh yea, you have a small amount of dwarven blood in you. However I have no idea if they were your ancestors exactly; I only know that you carry the dwarf bloodline. Sorry." The glaive said and the king grew silent for awhile then expressed his thanks once again. The group fell into a silence again while Roen stared back the Draconis's body that was now encased in a cocoon of his robes.

He turned his sights to the giant doors that were still wide open, and were now leaking a black gas that tumbled down into the abyss it rose above. Sighing he extended his free left hand out and a red chain shot out from his palm. The chain connected to one of the doors, and with an impressive yank Roen closed one of the open doors.

"Phew, hey you you're a king right?" Roen suddenly asked the king who had long since stopped kneeling and was conversing with his general away from Roen's group.

"Watch your tone!!" The general had enough of Roen's disrespectful tone and finally exploded. He reached for the sword on his hip while supplying his legs with an ample amount of aura. He knew he stood no chance against Roen, but he wanted to show a threatening front. Roen just smiled and disregarded him while waiting for the king to answer.

"Please don't fight, you stand no chance anyways Derik. Please address me as King Leonard or Leonard, how may I help you?" Leonard had accepted the Roen had the strength to back up his arrogance, so he decided that it is better to get on friendly terms with such a monster.

"Well you see those doors," Roen asked while pointing towards the doors he summoned and after he saw Leonard nod he continued, "You see those doors are a sort of connection to a different plane of existence called the Nightmare Realm. What I need from you is to watch these because I can't fully close them or else I'll need to have to use an annoying amount of souls and part of my own just to bring it back."

"I see... And by 'watch' them you mean?" Leonard already knew what Roen meant, but he wanted to confirm it with him.

"Hehe obviously make sure nothing comes out obviously." Roen smiled while Leonard and Derik shivered as they gazed at the abyss.

"Oh and don't worry I'll leave this guy to help you contact me as well as give you a pretty good source of protection." Roen quickly added as he saw the unease in their eyes and his clothes fluttered as a purple wolf or more like a wolf pup appeared by his side.

The two stared at the purple pup that looked like it couldn't even hurt a fly. It had red and silver veins strewn throughout it's body. The paws of the pup were a pitch black that emitted a black smoke as well. The pup looked harmless at first glance, but it had sharp silver eyes that radiated a killing intent capable of putting a well trained general to shame.

"Don't underestimate him, he is cultivated by me personally after all." Roen warned Leonard and Derik with a sentence full of pride. The two nodded vigorously as they remembered Roen's recent feats.

"Um great heroes if I may ask where it is that you might be heading?" Derik asked nervously.

"Higloas kingdom why?" Roen bluntly told them the truth.

"Um if you don't mind, could you take our citizens with you. My friend in the Higloas capital owes me one, so if you could escort my citizens to his capital. I don't know if I can protect them as our main wall of defense has been destroyed." King Leonard gave a wry smile as he gazed towards the gaping hole of what was once his impenetrable capital.

"Hmmm, I guess it wouldn't hurt to lay low for awhile. Also we need to rest and train, so sure I will escort them. However I won't become their nanny." Roen surprisingly accepted and Tyor, Engil, and Sarah were forced to follow as well.

"Great! They all want to meet the heroes that fought and defeated the dragon!" King Leonard grew excited when Roen accepted because he was worried for his citizen's safety during the long journey to the Higloas Kingdom.

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Engil couldn't handle the silence during the talks with the king and Roen. To stave his boredom he started up a conversation with Roen's glaive.

"So you do know you fell right into Roen's plans right?"

"Humph, I already knew when I saw the Draconis."

"Tough."

"I feel like we share the same struggle."

"Comrade in pain! We must have code names now!!"

"What an odd occurrence I just thought the same thing!"

"Alright you shall be Goldy while you can call me the true wolf!"

"These names... What great naming sense!"

And just like that a man and a weapon shared an uncommon bond through an uncommon master.

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When Roen and the group traveled for a couple minutes that arrived at a clearing with multiple wooden carriages linked together. Roen had counted 40 in total. However the most impressive thing was the citizens were all looking towards their direction without saying a word.

Some had looks of awe and reverence while other shared tears in their eyes.

Whoosh

In an almost synchronized motion everyone knelt before them. Some people fell down and started crying tears of joy.

"Thank you heroes!"

"Thank you!"

"Thanks for saving out skins!"

"Thank you heroes!"

Similar shouts and thanks rang out in a symphony of gratitude. It was an overwhelming scene that made Roen, Engil, Tyor, and even Sarah shocked to the core. They had obviously not expected this.

"I can see how some can addicted to this feeling." Roen said out loud while smiling at the masses.

Later that day there was a celebration held for the their heroes. Alcohol, cooked meat, and songs filled the air. Everyone was laughing and partying around the warmth of the bonfire the citizens had made earlier. Tyor and Sarah had joined the festivities and were munching down on some grilled vegetables and meats while enjoying the fire. Engil was going around enjoying his popularity while cracking jokes every now and then stealing a bite to eat every chance he could get. He had nothing to eat except liquified souls for so long he nearly forgot the taste of meat.

Roen sat on a log away from most of the party, but he still watched everyone while drinking a glowing blue drink in a bottle. Every now and then a grateful soldier or citizens came up to him and gave him their personal thanks while trying to start up a conversation, but he stated that he wanted to be alone so they silently left and respected his wishes.

"Why do you not join them?" The glaive's voice rang out in his head. Roen had summoned it back into his body since it had the function to store itself in a space within his body and it would be wasteful not to use it.

"I am content just watching from a distance." Roen said solemnly with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"You're a troubled child aren't you?" The glaive cut off it's connection with Roen and let him be. After it had merged with his soul his had a basic idea of Roen's personality, and it realized Roen didn't like to show most of his feelings outright.

Roen sighed at the glaive's comment and went back to drinking his liquified souls. He tilted his head up and gazed at the stars overhead.

'Am I really content with this?' Roen asked himself, but he couldn't figure out if he was referring to the party or something greater.

"Mister?"

"Hmm?" Roen threw himself out of his thoughts as a petite voice woke him. He moved his eyes downwards to see a girl around the age of 5 looking up at him with deep blue eyes and holding out a plate with food on it.

"Mister needs to eet?" The girl slurred her words cutely while tilting her head to one side.

"No thank you, I am fine. You can go and play with your friends I rather be alone." Roen denied her and tried to send her away. However she just threw the plate away and sat next to Roen on the log he was sitting next to.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Roen grew a little annoyed by the girl's persistence. He was about to pull her away when she suddenly leaned on him while clutching his sleeve. Then he saw the tears in her tightly shut eyes. She was mumbling something that would normally be inaudible, but Roen knew exactly what she was saying even without having to listen.

He put back his hands back and let her stay with him. She slowly cried herself to sleep and he brought her back to the camp. He brought her into where the newly orphaned children were located and only left till he was sure she was safe.

Roen closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly.

'I already knew this would be hard, but am I really making the right choice in all this? No, no, I won't waver. I cannot. I cannot reverse death, and I will not give up my conviction so easily! For those I step on in my path for vengeance I am sorry; I have those I must kill!' Roen was thinking, but he didn't realize that his thoughts were also shared with the glaive. The glaive heard every word as clear as day and only sighed at Roen's foolishness.